bludgeon

American  

[bluhj-uhn] / ˈblʌdʒ ən /

noun

1. a short, heavy club with one end weighted, or thicker and heavier than the other.

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verb (used with object)

1. to strike or knock down with a bludgeon.

2. to force into something; coerce; bully.

   The boss finally bludgeoned him into accepting responsibility.

bludgeon British  

/ ˈblʌdʒən /

noun

1. a stout heavy club, typically thicker at one end

2. a person, line of argument, etc, that is effective but unsubtle

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verb

1. to hit or knock down with or as with a bludgeon

2. (often foll by into) to force; bully; coerce

   they bludgeoned him into accepting the job

Other Word Forms

• bludgeoneer noun
• bludgeoner noun

Etymology

Origin of bludgeon

First recorded in 1720–30; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

“It’s because governments usually resort to blunt instruments, opting for the bludgeon of sweeping tariffs and subsidies over the scalpel of industrial parks and skills development programs.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

At their core, they are a team built to bludgeon opponents — not slap singles and drop down sacrifice bunts.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2025

Liam Livingstone then arrived, full of intent, to bludgeon a pair of enormous sixes as Bethell settled at the other end but he fell before he could do any significant damage.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

After their victory, one of them triumphantly tosses his bludgeon, a masculine, violent tool, which morphs into a spaceship.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2023

—William Cowper Innumeracy, Freud, and Pseudoscience Innumeracy and pseudoscience are often associated, in part because of the ease with which mathematical certainty can be invoked to bludgeon the innumerate into a dumb acquiescence.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos